Floating an Egg with Salt

Broad Question

What does salt do to water?

Specific Question

How much salt does it take to float an egg?

Variables

Independent Variable:

Liquid

Dependent Variable:

Salt (tablespoon)

Variables That Need To Be Controlled:

Amount of liquid
The egg
Amount of salt per scoop
Type of egg
Cup the experiment is taking place

Hypothesis

If I add more salt then it will float an egg. More salt will be needed for denser liquids.

Graph of Hypothesis

Experimental Design

My experiment is all about finding how much salt it takes to float an egg in different types of liquids. During my science fair experiment I will use my counter in my kitchen at my house. I will be the only person conducting my experiment. To make sure I have enough information to create an accurate conclusion I am going to test each liquid four times total. There are four liquids so there will be a total of 16 trials.
When I conduct my experiment I will record my data on a written out data table and the transfer it to a Google Docs data table when I get to school. As I am doing the experiment I will make sure to take pictures and get them on the computer at home. From there I will put the pictures on my wiki. I will also note any observations I discovered during my experiment.

Materials List

Slat
Eggs
1 Glass Cup
Water
Stir-stick
Piece of Paper (for tally marks)
Coca-Cola
Monster Energy Drink
Apple Juice
Tablespoon
Data table Sheet

Detailed Procedure

Step 1: Gather Materials
Step 2: Fill cup with 1c of water
Step 3: Place the egg inside the cup.
Step 4: Add one level tablespoon of salt to the cup and stir with a stirring stick.
Step 5: Keep count of how many spoonfuls of salt you add to the liquid on a piece of paper. Use tally marks.
Step 6: Repeat step 5 until the egg partially above the water.
Step 7: Record the number of table spoons it took to float the egg on the data table.
Step 8: Repeat for 3 more trials with new water for each trail.
Step 9: Clean the glass and repeat for three more trials.(clean the glass for EVERY trial)
Step 10: Start using Coca-Cola
Step 11: Repeat steps 3-8.
Step 12: Start using Monster Energy Drink.
Step 13: Repeat steps 3-8.
Step 14: Start using Apple Juice.
Step 15: Repeat steps 3-8.
Step 16: Finish the data table and make graphs for Water, Coca-Cola, Monster Energy Drink, Apple Juice, and an Average graph.

Results

The original purpose of this experiment was to see how much salt it took to float an egg in different liquids. The results fo the experiment were that it took the most amount of tablespoons to float an egg in water. On average, it took 4.5 tablespoons of salt. Next was the Coca-Cola, which took an average of 2.75 tablespoons of slat. Then was the Apple Juice, that needed 2.5 tablespoons on average. The Monster Energy took the least amount of tablespoons on average with 1.25 tablespoons. Each liquid was tested four times, and the results were averaged.

Data Table

Graphs

Background Research

Using salt to change the structure of the water will make me successful in floating an egg. The water will dense if salt is added thus making the less dense object float The density of water is 1, which will make it easier in comparing it with the other liquids I plan to use in the experiment. It will be easier to compare because I can find out if the other liquids are more or less dense than water. This whole experiment revolves around density. I will need to have all the liquids at the same temperature, as temperature is a factor in density. Heat rises, causing the warmer matter to rise.

Conclusion

My hypothesis was that if I add more salt, then it would float an egg. To get a liquid more dense, you need to add more salt. My results did support my hypothesis. Salt successfully floated an egg and it showed which liquid was the denses. The data usually stayed consistant for each liquid. For examle, water normally stayed around 4 or 5 tablespoins of water. The relationship between liquid and salt wasn't strong. Each liquid had its own density which made the amount of salt become relevant to the density of the liquid being used.
I think the the test went very smoothly. There wasn't any problems. I had everything I needed. All my materials were present so I didn't need any last minute materials. The tests were simple to do, and there wasn't any problems during any of the tests. If I could improve my experiment, I would add more liquids to test, or I would make the amount of liquid go higher. Instead of just testing how much salt it took for one cup of liquid for all the trials, I would just add another half a cup each trial for all the liquids.

References

"How to Make an Egg Float in a Glass of Water | eHow.com." eHow | How to Videos, Articles & More - Discover the expert in you. | eHow.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Jan. 2012. <http://www.ehow.com/how_2105561_make-egg-float-glass-water.html>.

Meyer, Lori A., ed. Measuring Matter. Logan, Iowa: Perfect Learning Corporation, 2006. Print.